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“I cannot today, but I thank you for the invitation. I will patiently await the notice for your ball.” He crossed over the rug, and I stood, offering my hand. He took it in his thick fingers and bent over it. “You are the picture of poise, Mrs. Bradwell. My wife will be pleased to receive an excellent accounting of James’s lovely new wife. Please accept my congratulations on securing the catch of the Season.”
James made a brief face at this pronouncement, and Lord Claverley turned to clap him on the back. “You were a tough man to pin down, James. I simply had to see for myself what young flower managed to force a commitment from you.”
James looked at me, a soft smile playing on his lips. “Now that you’ve seen her, I am certain you cannot blame me for swiftly claiming her as my own.”
“No. No, indeed.”
I did my best to smile prettily, but my scratchy sleeves felt like tiny bugs crawling up and down my arms, and I feared I presented more of a grimace. Catch of the Season? A tough man to pin down? Whatever he meant by that, it was evident I was the only person in the room who did not fully take his meaning.
James led his cousin from the room, and I sat again beside Lady Edith, chafing my arms. She looked at me oddly, and I ceased my scratching. Once the men were outside, far enough away to prove us alone, Lady Edith’s shoulders slumped forward, and she dropped her head in her hands.
“That girl will be the death of me,” she whispered.
I could only assume she did not mean me in this particular circumstance. “Miss Northcott?”
“Yes. She insists on making the whole of our arrangement more difficult than it needs be.”
I waited for Lady Edith to explain what the whole of the arrangement was, but she said no more. I understood that she was relying on Lord Claverley to sponsor the girl, but why did Miss Northcott need him at all? She was possessed of both fortune and good name. The scandal demanding their need for Lord Claverley must be grand, indeed—and the money they offered him of equal measure if he was so opposed to any aspersions on his character by association.
The clopping of hooves could be heard through the windows as Lord Claverley’s coach carried him away, and James returned to the drawing room only a few minutes later, Henry on his heels. He must have joined James outside to bid their cousin farewell.
“Henry, you must go to Dorothea and ensure that she is well,” Lady Edith said.
He nearly missed his footing. “She will find it dashed odd if I do, for I hardly know her. I did not live here when she did, Mother.” He lowered himself on the sofa beside his brother. “We are strangers at best. It would be better to send one of the others, for they are at least better associated with the girl. She is more likely to speak to one of them.”
“James cannot go,” Lady Edith said. “He is needed here.”
“And what of Benedict?”
James laughed. “That would be disastrous. The two cannot abide one another.”
Lady Edith huffed. “He does not need to marry the girl, he need only ensure that all is well.”
“Can a letter not suffice?” Henry asked.
“A letter will not verify her wellbeing. She could write anything she wished.”
A shadow passed over the mood in the room, and I wanted to offer my assistance, but I did not know in what way I could be of any help. My arms protested my dratted sleeves and I wondered, briefly, if it was too dramatic to burn this gown once I removed it.
“Benedict would perhaps be the best choice,” Henry said. “He knows the girl far better than I do. We’ve only met in passing.”
“I will go,” James said, casting an irritated look at his brother. “Dorothea knows me, and I imagine she will have no trouble speaking plainly to me. I can leave directly and return no later than Wednesday. Henry can aid you in whatever preparations you need for the ball during that time, Mother.”
“I would be happy to help in whatever way I can,” Henry confirmed.
My body tensed. James would leave me here alone with his family for nearly a week? After kissing him this morning, I had hoped we would spend more time together under our decision to court. I wanted to grow closer to him, especially now that we’d broken through the physical barrier into a deeper relationship than we claimed before. But that would evidently need to be put off.
“Should Benedict travel with you?” Lady Edith asked. “Perhaps it would give him an opportunity to prove to Dorothea that he is not uncouth and entirely void of manners.”
“They bicker like unhappy siblings,” Henry explained to me. “Or so I’ve been told. I haven’t been around them much.”
“That is the way of things, unfortunately. Benedict cannot be made to see reason around her.” Lady Edith sighed. “Forget I mentioned it, James. I do not know if it is wise.”
“Perhaps I will not allow Ben the choice.” James grinned. “And neither will I allow him to speak in her presence.”
“I trust Cousin Matthew has gone?” Benedict asked, his lanky frame leaning in the doorway. “One can only hide in the library for so long.” He sent me a wink as he ambled into the room.
“He is gone,” their mother confirmed.
